Backlash
by Uchiha Yumi
Summary: Backlash – insurgence. People striking and demonstrating against something or someone they don’t like. [RenBya, Shonen Ai, Request]
1. Reaction

**Author:** Uchiha Yumi

**Title:** Backlash

**Genre:** Angst, Romance

**Summary: ** Backlash – insurgence. People striking and demonstrating against something or someone they don't like. RenBya, Shonen Ai, Request

**Rating:** T

**Parings:** Renji x Byakuya

**Main Characters: **Kuchiki Byakuya, Abarai Renji

**Special thanks:** A special thank to Lilya-chan and FunnyNeko, for reading and correcting all of my nasty stuff.

**Disclaimer: **Ieeeh! Kuchiki-taichou is so lucky! He owns both me and Renji! winks Too bad I don't have enough money to bribe him into having a threesome with me and his lover…

**Notes: **English is not my native tongue. Please tell me about my mistakes!

AND FINALLY IT'S DONE!!!

I was starting to think I wouldn't make it!

But here it is! Aaaaaaall done!

This is a request story - requested by **_jwg676_**. Thank you for waiting, darling! I hope you like it!

The titles of the different parts are just synonyms of "Backlash" I've found on the dictionary.

Oh, I didn't know what Backlash meant, so I looked for it on the dictionary, before writing this. I hope I got everything right.

It's divided into 4 short parts – I was thinking about being a bitch and updating only if I received at least, I don't know, 5 reviews for each part, but…Hopefully I won't. XD Neeh, in the end, I'm a good girl!

_**BACKLASH**_

_**PART ONE - Reaction  
**_

Backlash – insurgence. People striking and demonstrating against something or someone they don't like.

Mutiny, to some extent. Refusing to carry out a Captain's orders.

Looking at the recent events taking part in the Sixth division from the point of view of a simple and neutral officer as Rikichi was required a certain degree of cautiousness and wisdom – like handling a flaming item without burning your skin.

Among the Squads of the Gotei 13, the Sixth one had never been particularly illustrious – it didn't have special tasks, it wasn't much belligerent or pious and it wasn't a bunch of useless shinigami either. No heroes and no cowards – honourably standing in the middle.

The only lustrous trait of such an average Division was probably its highest commander, Kuchiki Byakuya – his nobility, his stainlessness, both morally and physically. He seemed to be the excellence walking five inches above the filthy ground not to soil such a high perfection – but, evidently, even unblemished beings had defects. "That's what makes everybody unique", they say. But Kuchiki Byakuya's flaw was like a footprint in a perfectly untouched snow field. It stood out. It claimed attention and attracted malignity.

As a thunder in the blue, it was unexpected. It was hail in July and sun in December. Something no one was prepared to face.

"I can understand Abarai-fukutaichou. He's a backstreet rat, but…_him_…"

This recurrent sentence resounded more and more often within the walls of the agitated Division – Rikichi could hear it from the smirking and indignant mouths of his mates. It was the chorus of the bitter song that everyone and everything even just slightly touched by _the affair _seemed to hum and sing and scream – it was the social weight of the "public opinion" and Rikichi had a feeling it was worse than the Martial Court itself.

So, they had jumped out of the shadows of mediocrity and into the lights of dishonour and reproach – everyone watched them, judged them, blamed them.

It was_ the_ _affair_ of the century – of the millennium maybe. The greatest scandal Soul Society had ever faced – betrayals, fights, blood: everything seemed to be forgotten in front of what had been going on inside of the Sixth Division.

It was wrong – they sentenced. Wrong in many different senses: shameful, disgusting, unacceptable, an act of insubordination. Wrong, wrong and once again wrong. Something that should have never be done and, if done, should have been kept secret. It was the same mentality of the Victorian Age – "morally becoming" is the fundamental concept. Everything steering away from it should have been either avoided or carefully hidden, like a gash on a beautiful dress.

What shocked the young boy the most, however, was that everyone had literally freaked out when a random – but indeed chatty – shinigami had surprised them doing _the affair_. And yet the signals were pretty clear – glances, little touches, mutual understandings. Everything had always been there – maybe not in broad daylight, but covered with just the lightest layer of fog.

It was there for who desired to see it – and evidently nobody had ever really wanted to. It felt to Rikichi as if everyone was just waiting for this bomb to blow up and did everything in their power to make this process quicker and more painful.

Why did they care so much? Why did they consider someone's love life and choices more important than his talent and prestige? Why did they blame someone for loving another someone just because of his lower social status? Why did they say he was just a slave, a useful toy for a quick and transitory pleasure?

Too many questions troubled the shinigami's mind and made him clench his fists in rage. His idol was being mocked and pointed at just for being in love. His own Captain – which was, indeed, detached and a little intimidating, but also one of the few in the whole Seireitei to mind one's merits instead of one's recommendations when it came to assign a vacant seat – being disobeyed, judged, laughed at. The whole Sixth Division was protesting because its Captain and Vice Captain were lovers and all he could do was sit back and watch while everything fell apart.

Outside his quarter's window he could see his mates hanging another sign right under the Taichou's and Fukutaichou's chambers.

"Dignity first of all", it read.

He punched the wall with a low groan.


	2. Repercussion

Here we go, second part….Thank to all my 4 reviewers.

I'm sorry if I don't reply to e-mails, but I've been sick again (fever and my stomach's becoming quite a bothering problem) and I'm studying for ANOTHER exam…

Please, leave a review – it'll help me improve! (bows)

**Dedicated to:** **_Leandri_** – because she's soooo nice to start a review with "Hello, nice to read again from you" and to **_a is for action_**, because she finds it realistic – I struggled so much to write it…So yeah, this seriously flatters me!

_**PART TWO – Repercussion **_

Backlash – insurgence. People striking and demonstrating against something or someone they don't like.

Mutiny, to some extent. Refusing to carry out a Captain's orders.

Locked up in his private rooms, there wasn't much Renji could do. Kuchiki-taichou had put him under arrest until further notice. However, he knew it wasn't a punishment, but a favour he was receiving – if he was allowed out of his quarters, he knew his rage would burst out and destroy every single asshole on its path – every freaking homophobe, envious, dirty piece of shit, reserving a special treatment for the one who had had the brilliant idea to make the whole thing start in first place.

They had always been careful with Byakuya not to make any suspect noise, to choose the right moments and places and for _once_ they had loosened up and _kissed_ during work-time – hell, it was their _anniversary_. They had been together for a whole damn _year_ already without any problem – a stupid idiot _had_ to slam the door open to hand them a fucking letter.

Screw it! If only he could see him now he would…

He didn't know what he would do, but it surely wouldn't be nice and pleasant. And since his Captain knew it, had wisely decided to limit his freedom – and also his possibility to cause any damage. As much as he felt like a trapped animal, Abarai Renji was grateful for this – he knew he would worsen the situation and he didn't want that – Hell no, it was bad enough as it already was.

He glanced out of the window, trying to ease a bit his sorrow and anger.

Another sign had been recently hung so that he – or better, _they_ – could see it from his window.  
"Dignity", "Pride", "Disgust", "Righteousness" – all big words pronounced by brainless idiots. They didn't mean shit. And they didn't mean shit because the only disgusting things within_ his _Division where there wasn't "dignity", "pride" or "righteousness" were signs like that one, along with their creators' reactions, their laughter, their pitiful insinuations and their whole poor beings he would have happily extinguished if he had been even just the _slightest bit_ less _controlled_.

And, despite they were making it a "matter of principles" – as if they knew what a _principle_ actually was – Renji was perfectly aware of the reason _why_ they were making such a fuss and it surely wasn't the famous kiss exchanged during lunch-time.

As much as they had tried to protect their relationship during this year, sometimes, a few hints were inevitably dropped here and there for those whose ears weren't completely deaf. And those few, little hints – Byakuya's soft words, their own little jokes on Monday mornings, light, stolen laughs faintly echoing through supposedly empty corridors – had continuously suggested only one – despicable, if he was to use _their_ words – thing: that Kuchiki Taichou, mighty and noble and perfect and prideful man was a sissy – a disgraceful homosexual harshly submitted by a rough big man with no heart, pride, respect and no sense of shame whatsoever.

Shit, those bastards. What the Hell did they know about them? What the Hell did they know about how he felt when he was holding his lover close to his heart, when his scent was so intense he felt his own head spinning? Nothing. They knew exactly _nothing_, but they thought this _nothing_ was _enough_ to entitle them to spit out judgements.

Just because he was a Rukongai brat and Byakuya was a noble, it _had_ to be like this. In _their _fucked-up mind, they _couldn't _love each other. He was _doomed_ to be the harsh and heartless, a violent dominator who just ripped off an innocent body and tainted an equally innocent soul.

This was what _they_ called "the real, undeniable truth". But the _reality_ – the authentic one, the one they built everyday with kisses, hugs, mutual love and respect, honesty, loyalty – they had never seen it. They weren't there when, the first time they had made love, – because it wasn't _sex_, it was _love_ – Renji's eyes had filled with tears at the sight of his beloved's naked body, when his hands were shaking as they traced the perfect curve of his hips, when he couldn't hold back anymore and started crying against Byakuya's shoulder, begging him not to wake him up from that beautiful dream.

No, they_ weren't_ there, but they still felt they knew _enough_.

But what was wounding him the most wasn't his own position – he was used to be blamed, pointed at, discriminated, hated and whatever. What was driving him completely crazy, instead, was what Kuchiki-taichou could be feeling like. His life had always been flawless, easy, protected – he had always had his own social position to shield his fragile inner self with, and now this shell was being broken by the words and actions of a bunch of assholes.

And he knew Byakuya was feeling just the same – caring more about Renji than himself, letting the events intoxicate his soul, letting his own little certainties being snatched away so painfully to silently protect what he loved.

Did he cry at night, too? Did he ever caress the empty side of his futon, hoping to still find a little warmth and affection? Did he watch the stars, high and bright in the sky, wishing he could be like them, free, happy and far away from the filthiness of their world?

Abarai-fukutaichou's heart was wrenched and bleeding.

He growled. He wanted to just run away. Far, far away. Far from those idiots, far from prejudices and hatred. But he couldn't. He was bound to stay and watch as they ruined his little happiness, as they destroyed so carelessly what he struggled so much to achieve.

His hand hit the panes, hard. As the thin glass broke tiny paths of blood silently dripped to the ground, pooling on the wooden floor. For once, he hoped his tears would fall that easily, too.


	3. Recoil

Here we go…third part of my story…

Yeah, I didn't update "All you need is LOVE"…I don't know when I'll do it…I don't feel too well at the moment. Both physically and emotionally…so yeah…

Dedicated to: **AuroraRose14** – I'm so happy you liked it, my dear! **Ginny M** – this was your first Bleach fic? I'm honoured, but go out there and read more! There are so many wonderful authors that need to be discovered! ;)

I'm not particularly happy with this chapter, honestly, but…oh, well, you'll tell me.

_**PART THREE – Recoil **_

Backlash – insurgence. People striking and demonstrating against something or someone they don't like.

Mutiny, to some extent. Refusing to carry out a Captain's orders.

_His_ squad refusing to carry out _his_ orders.

The situation was dangerously slipping between his authoritarian fingers and he couldn't take a hold of the reins of that carriage whose horses were driving into the deep abyss of destruction.

Kuchiki Byakuya was a Commander whose ship was inexorably sinking, lower and lower into the ocean and he couldn't help but wondering if the mistake he had made - if a mistake – had been so unforgivable.

A warrior has no feelings. A warrior puts his duties before everything else. And a Captain's duty is first of all the devotion of his own subordinates, their respect, their obedience.

That's what the nobleman firmly believed and preached – the religion of hierarchy, of the deserved and the undeserved. The fragile, private world Kuchiki Byakuya lived in, entirely relied on the delicate and complicate balances between roles and obligations, self and other, inner and outer – either it was his responsibility, or someone else's. That was what prevented such an evanescent equilibrium from collapsing under the weight of reality.

But that was the day before _yesterday_.

Between that Kuchiki Byakuya and the actual one, a _yesterday_ had come.

A yesterday with a fierce attitude and a messy ponytail of spiky red hair.

His whole world quivered, back then. Little prejudices and promises broke and vanished, shattering that precarious tiny steadiness his inner self was holding onto.

And Kuchiki Byakuya fell, down, into the darkness of something he hadn't felt for long. Too long, maybe. It was a warm feeling, he recalled. A warmth that aimed to his icy heart and burned with passion the strands keeping his collectedness together.

He had felt fear – for the first time – or was it the second? – in many years of dutiful and painless life, he had felt scared. Scared of being read through. Scared of letting his hands wrap around someone else's to walk together. And when the doubts and worries had won him over, he had closed his eyes and just hoped.

He woke up in strong, protective arms holding him close and suddenly everything was making sense. The little tiny wires of his essential balances were slowly recreating, setting new priorities and needs, tidying up the shattered mess of his morals and making room for another person.

Like a lonesome hermit, his heart had to adjust to the new sensation of _duality_, of sharing the sadness and multiplying the joys – but he wasn't alone anymore and wasn't regretting it.

His soul had stopped aching.

But again, after yesterday, _today_ had to come, disguised as a kiss that tasted just like yesterday, but held within its sweetness the traces of a deathly venom. And like a lethal illness it had spread quickly, injecting prejudices into previously well-disposed hearts.

Everything he had worked so hard to cope with, was being mercilessly shoved back into his face: he was homosexual, he was the weak part of the couple, he had been submitted by his own subordinate.

They had lost their names, their identities, their roles – there was no more Kuchiki Byakuya-taichou or Abarai Renji-fukutaichou, just two homosexuals, two sinners, two dirty ejections of society nobody wanted to deal with.

He could almost see his mistake now – it was _trust_. He had let go of his heart and now someone was kicking it, wounding it, mocking it.

Oh, no – it wasn't Renji. Renji could never hurt him.

Renji was the only reason why he hadn't put to death the whole division for mutiny – Renji was the little file smoothing his spiky edges, the drop of _common_ sense diluting the numbing noblesse that was the meter he valuated reality with. As precipitous as he himself could appear, Renji had always managed to calm him down, to sedate Kuchiki-taichou's anger.

He hadn't wanted to put him under arrest. He was the only innocent person in the entire Squad, probably – and detention wasn't meant for blameless individuals, but he had had no other choice.

He needed to protect him, to prevent him from making some thoughtless action and worsen his position.

Kuchiki Byakuya dreaded the mere idea of Renji being in trouble for this – he didn't care much about his own position: he was noble, he was strong. He had a solid backup, somehow. Something not even blame could alter. But Renji….

He had nothing – nothing but himself, his body, his Soul Slayer. He was a self-made man – he had no high social position to defend himself with.

He could crumble every minute and Kuchiki-taichou didn't want it to happen. He loved Renji. He loved the feeling of his heart warming whenever they met, Renji's broad smile and crystalline laughter.

No, he wouldn't lose him.

Not over such a stupid thing. Not over prejudices. Not over idiocy. Not even over meaningless promises and vows.

He had made that mistake once already.


	4. Counterattack

Geez! I totally forgot to update this fiction…oh, well. The ending isn't astounding. Just a lil' ordinary romance (winks)

**Dedicated to**: the reviewers of Byakuya's part. I knew it didn't come out as good as the previous chapters, but two brave girls reviewed! Thank you "**a is for action**" and "**random projects**"! (hands cookies and Byakuya's plushie to snuggle into)

_**PART FOUR – Counterattack **_

It was late at night and the chaotic turmoil seemed to subside within the walls of the Sixth Division.

Doors were shut, people were sleeping, halls were silent.

Everything seemed to be normal, but it wasn't meant to last.

It was just a cruel deceit.

In a small chamber, two figures were sitting next to each other, their eyes distractedly gazing at the starry sky.

Hand in hand, one of the figures leant against the other's shoulder, smiling as he received a sweet, little kiss on his forehead and a loving hug.

"…nee, Byakuya?"

"What…?"

The older man snuggled closer to his lover as he replied, enjoying the feeling of being again in his arms after what seemed to be an eternity.

"Do you think it will end…? I mean…do you think everything will ever go back to normal?"

Kuchiki Byakuya didn't know. Maybe. Maybe not.

"It doesn't matter, Renji. You don't have to worry"

"But I do!" he replied, a pained expression on his sun-blessed face.

"You don't have to…We still have each other. That's what counts, right?"

Abarai Renji blushed madly as he nodded, tightening his hold on his Captain's shoulders.

The raven-haired nobleman faintly smiled "Do you still love me?" he added, tentatively.

There was no reply.

In the dim light of the stars, a figure bent down to capture the other's lips, slowly.

"Renji…"

"Shhhh…just…too many words. Too many comments and judgements and mocking…"

Kuchiki-taichou's breath caught in his throat. He was right. They didn't need words.

They sat there, in front of the window, all night long. Next to each other, hand in hand, their hearts beating as one. That was all they called for.

Maybe, if someone could have seen them like that the whole riot would have never existed.

_**Owari**_


End file.
